Queen Consort Camilla Through the Years: From Her Divorce to a Second Chance at Love With King Charles III

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Queen Consort Camilla Through the Years: From Her Divorce to a Second Chance at Love With King Charles III

From divorcee to royalty! Queen Consort Camilla had a winding journey before she was able to settle down with King Charles III. Before meeting the future monarch, Camilla (née Shand) studied in England, Switzerland, and France. Her future changed when she became a debutante in London’s high society in 1965 and one of her friends introduced her to Charles. The pair began to date in the 1970s before he had to leave for his Royal Navy service. While Charles served his country, Camilla moved on with Andrew Parker Bowles. When the royal returned from his military service, he learned Camilla was engaged. In July 1973, she wed the British Army officer. The duo welcomed two children, son Tom in 1974 and daughter Laura in 1978. Charles, for his part, moved on with Princess Diana in 1981 and shared sons Prince William and Prince Harry, who were born in 1982 and 1984, respectively. While married to their respective partners, Charles and Camilla allegedly began to rekindle their romance in secret. In December 1994, Camilla and Parker Bowles split after 21 years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in March 1995. Charles and Diana, for their part, separated in 1992 amid speculation of marital issues — and allegations of infidelity on both sides. Their divorce was finalized in 1996. Diana seemingly hinted at Charles' affair with Camilla in 1995 during her infamous interview with BBC’s Panorama. “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” the late Princess of Wales quipped as to why she and Charles didn’t last. [jwplayer zAJop8Hk-zhNYySv2] In 1997, Diana tragically died in Paris in a car crash along with her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul. Two years after the accident, Camilla and Charles went public with their relationship. While the duo faced scrutiny from the outside world at the time, they ultimately won over the family. “It was horrid. It was a deeply unpleasant time and I wouldn’t want to put my worst enemy through it,” Camilla reflected to the Daily Mail in May 2017 of the early days of her relationship with Charles. “I couldn’t have survived it without my family.” The pair later got engaged in February 2005 and tied the knot in a civil ceremony two months later. After their nuptials, Camilla assumed the role of Duchess of Cornwall and began her tenure as a working member of the royal family. Prior to Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the late monarch announced in February 2022 that her daughter-in-law would earn the title of Queen Consort when Charles ascended the throne. When the announcement was made, Camilla shared she was “very honored and very touched” by the queen’s endorsement. Following Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, both Charles and Camilla assumed their new titles. Keep scrolling to revisit Camilla throughout the years:

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1970

Charles and Camilla met and allegedly briefly dated before he left to serve in the Royal Navy.

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1973

Camilla married her first husband, British Army officer Parker Bowles.

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1974

The London native became a mother for the first time when she welcomed son Tom.

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1978

She and Parker Bowles expanded their family with daughter Laura.

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1994

Parker Bowles and Camilla called it quits and filed for divorce after 21 years of marriage.

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1999

Camilla and Charles went public with their relationship, despite rumors they allegedly began having an affair in 1986.

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2005

The couple wed in a civil ceremony after being engaged for two months. After their nuptials, she assumed the role of Duchess of Cornwall.

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2007

Camilla became a grandmother for the first time when her son Tom welcomed daughter Lola with his wife Sarah.

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2009

She made her first official royal visit to Canada alongside Charles.

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2011

Camilla attended her stepson Prince William’s royal wedding to Princess Kate.

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2016

Alongside William, Camilla was appointed to Queen Elizabeth II’s Privy Council, which is meant for the monarch’s most senior advisors.

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2018

Camilla was in attendance for Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle.

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2020

The royal couple celebrated 15 years of marriage while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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2022

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla was named Queen Consort as her husband assumed the role of king.

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February 2023

Camilla announced on February 23 that her “Reading Room” book club has become a nonprofit organization, aiming to provide new opportunities for adults and children to appreciate literature.

“My Reading Room started as a list of nine of my favorite books literally scribbled on a piece of paper during the first lockdown [for the coronavirus pandemic],” the queen consort said in a speech at the launch of the new charity. “It is now a global community of over 155,000. … I’m delighted to announce that the Reading Room has become a charity working to close the gap between readers and writers and helping people of all ages and backgrounds find and connect to books."